Wang Yiyang got into the car and walked straight down the aisle into the middle carriage.
He accepted the cup of hot milk Lei Wei held out to him, then sat in the leather chair beside the desk and took a small sip.
"Based on the long-distance footage we reviewed earlier, and the opinions of weapons experts and Limit Martial Artists, we've completed a standard assessment of Zhong Can's martial arts level."
Lei Wei briefly reported the task's progress, then picked up a stack of papers from the desk and handed them to Wang Yiyang.
"These are the assessment materials you asked for."
"Mm, thank you." Wang Yiyang took the papers without bothering to look at the cover and opened to the first page.
"Zhong Can: male, twenty-eight years old. Specializes in Moon Sky Fist, Black Eagle Fist, Nine Intense Fingers, and Water-Severing River-Solidifying Movement Technique. Other abilities unknown.
"Strength assessment: enormous power, extreme speed, and a physique capable of sustaining prolonged bursts at his limit.
"Preliminary ranking: Bright Light Rank."
The following pages analyzed Zhong Can's personality and the things he'd done in the past.
Some of it was already familiar to Wang Yiyang, but the rest was completely new to him.
There was also an analysis of Zhong Can's motives. His personality seemed to be warped in some strange way. He had an intense hatred of firearms, something the materials mentioned repeatedly.
After reading the report carefully, Wang Yiyang set the papers down and fell silent.
"You've read the report, right? Do you think Zhong Can's strength has been assessed accurately?" he asked suddenly.
Lei Wei considered the question.
"I think the report is fairly accurate, but he may have some secret art that can temporarily increase his strength."
"Is that so?" Wang Yiyang said calmly. "Then, based on this assessment, how many of our elite forces could a Bright Light Rank martial artist take on?"
"That would depend on the actual battlefield, the timing, the strategy, and other factors," Lei Wei replied.
"Fair point." Wang Yiyang lowered his head and looked over the report again.
Dudu...
Suddenly, a shrill ringtone sounded from Lei Wei's phone.
Her expression changed. She quickly took out the phone and answered.
For work, Lei Wei usually kept her phone on vibrate. Only a select few numbers had been set to ring aloud.
And a call from one of those numbers meant that something extremely troublesome might have happened.
Just like now.
As the person on the other end hurriedly spoke, Lei Wei's face paled slightly.
She soon hung up and looked at Wang Yiyang with a serious expression.
"Boss, I think we need to revise our assessment of Zhong Can's strength."
"Oh?" Wang Yiyang looked up at her.
Lei Wei's expression was grave as she quickly explained, "We just got word that among the martial artists sent by the Mantis Sect earlier—the ones who were all killed by Zhong Can—at least two were Limit Martial Artists. One of them was even registered with the Martial Alliance as a Bright Light Rank martial artist!"
"Bright Light Rank?" Wang Yiyang narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."
Inside the Yuekong Martial Arts Hall.
"How dare you speak to your teacher like that!"
Xiao Hong glared furiously at Zhong Can. Her once humble and reserved junior fellow apprentice seemed like a completely different person now, one who felt strange and dangerous to her.
She wasn't the only one. Nicholas was also glaring at Zhong Can, his expression dark.
"Zhong Can, what did you mean by that? Are you planning to fight us?" Nicholas asked in a low voice, struggling to rein in his anger.
Zhong Can didn't even look at them. He raised his head and met the gaze of Wang Xinlong, the teacher he had always respected.
"I've held back for a very long time." He slowly straightened. His strong, burly frame unfurled like a vine, gradually growing larger.
"But you still refuse to teach me your final secret technique. The most powerful secret art of Moon Sky Fist."
"So?" Wang Xinlong asked, his eyes filled with a hint of sorrow and a glimmer of hope.
He hoped it was all just his imagination. He hoped his most beloved disciple hadn't risen to defy him at all, and was still sitting on the prayer mat, quietly performing Ritual Stillness.
But there was no rewinding what had happened.
"So..."
A faint heat seemed to rise from Zhong Can's body.
A scorching, murky aura spread from him like a breeze.
The aura was like a dense shadow, profound and pitch-black. It spread from him toward every corner of the hall.
As it reached them, Nicholas and Xiao Hong couldn't help but change expression. They were forced to retreat several steps.
Only Wang Xinlong remained where he was.
He didn't retreat.
A scorching, murky aura was also spreading faintly from his body.
But compared to Zhong Can's, his aura was gentler and clearer.
Two invisible auras clashed and pressed against each other inside the hall.
Nicholas raised a hand, signaling the other disciples to slip away quietly. He himself began to withdraw, slowly pulling a phone from his clothes.
He knew very well that Zhong Can was far stronger than he was.
Only their teacher could face Zhong Can head-on. Even Xiao Hong could do little more than interfere.
So the best thing for him to do now was call for help!
Even if Zhong Can was strong, Nicholas thought, he could call in dozens or even a hundred people, have them all put on protective suits, and overwhelm his junior fellow apprentice with sheer numbers.
"Teacher, I wonder if your fear can become the key that lets me break free of everything..."
Zhong Can slowly raised a hand.
The invisible aura throughout the hall gathered into his palm like a whirlpool the instant he lifted it.
Crack!
In the next moment, a bolt of lightning flashed past the window.
In the brief flare of light, two figures charged forward at the same time.
With identical stances and movements, they threw their fists from opposite sides. Two vast, invisible auras gathered around them as they struck toward each other's heads.
Outside the Yuekong Martial Arts Hall.
The wind drove the light rain sideways, making it twist and sway.
One by one, figures with green bands wrapped around their arms appeared silently outside the martial arts hall's perimeter wall.
They were all dressed in black raincoats, their gazes fixed on the entrance.
"Zhong Can still won't respond to our messages. If you ask me, we don't need to keep indulging him. So what if he's a once-in-a-century genius? Does he really think he can take on all of us? The teacher's tolerance of him has gone far beyond what's reasonable."
Among the figures, a curvaceous, alluring woman twirled a lock of her brown hair. She stared toward the martial arts hall with a trace of jealousy, as if she could see through the wall and lay eyes on the person hidden inside.
"So now it's time for him to make a choice." A tall man with red eyebrows slowly emerged behind her.
"If he still won't make up his mind, then we'll decide for him. He's always refused to leave this martial arts hall, hasn't he? We'll give him a hand," the red-browed man said calmly.
"What do you mean?" The alluring woman looked puzzled.
"The teacher wants him alive. A dead Zhong Can has no value." The red-browed man gave a cold smile.
"Move!" He waved his hand sharply. The figures were about to force their way inside.
Boom!
Amid a loud crash, the martial arts hall's wooden doors shattered. Two figures rushed out through the rain.
They seemed to be fighting at high speed. Less than two seconds later—
Bang!
One of the figures stumbled and lost his footing. A palm struck his right shoulder, sending him tumbling into the crowd gathered nearby.
The powerful impact knocked four people down with him.
The sound of bones snapping rang out clearly from the four people he'd collided with.
Only then did the figure who'd been knocked away come into clear view.
It was Wang Xinlong, his face aged.
He braced himself on one hand and knelt on the ground. The rainwater on his body steamed into wisps of vapor from the heat of his skin.
The one who'd forced him back was none other than Zhong Can, standing at the entrance of the martial arts hall.
Strangely, Wang Xinlong didn't appear to have any injuries. He merely looked somewhat tired.
Zhong Can's hair was disheveled, and he let the rain soak him. His gaze swept slowly over those around him. His expression was calm.
"Zhong Can, you—!" The red-browed man had just begun to speak when he saw Zhong Can's palm flash out like lightning, leaving an afterimage as it struck a Mantis martial artist to the right.
Crack!
A flurry of breaking bones sounded like firecrackers.
The martial artist raised both arms to block the blow, but he was still sent flying, with who knew how many bones broken.
Zhong Can's strength seemed to pass through the block and strike directly inside his body, meeting no resistance.
"You're all shackles!"
A dark blur flashed. Zhong Can shot toward the red-browed man with a cold shout.
The red-browed man snorted. His arms suddenly swelled, and he stamped down hard with one foot.
With a muffled thud, he charged to meet him.
Bang!
Not far from the martial arts hall, one vehicle after another came to a slow stop. Doors opened, and a large force of black-clad soldiers in protective suits climbed out, carrying submachine guns and shotguns as they moved to surround the hall.
Farther away, blue drones circled above the martial arts hall through the drizzle.
Each drone carried an automatic autocannon, its firepower capable of covering every corner of the hall. They were on the verge of being activated at any moment.
Farther still, snipers were already in position, hidden and watching the situation inside the hall through their scopes.
Within a hundred meters of the hall, soldiers in protective suits placed all-weather signal jammers on the ground.
Their powerful jamming signals blanketed the entire area, leaving no blind spots.
A sedan bearing a silver-and-white cross emblem on its body slowly stopped behind a line of vehicles.
Lei Wei quickly got out, circled around, and opened the door on the other side.
Wang Yiyang stepped out slowly and looked toward the martial arts hall.
"Looks like Grandpa's having a pretty good time. It's been a long while since he's gotten to stretch his muscles like this," he said with a smile.
"Should we still hold back, Boss?" Lei Wei asked anxiously.
"Grandpa's vital signs are perfectly stable. Even at his age, Zhong Can won't defeat him that quickly." Wang Yiyang shook his head.
"Besides, he needs to be completely disillusioned with Zhong Can."
The snipers he'd positioned wouldn't let anyone inside the martial arts hall get hurt so easily.
Zhong Can was strong, but the others weren't helpless, either.
The snipers could intervene in the fight in a second.
Besides, the situation was already under his control. What kind of trouble could Zhong Can possibly cause?
So he wasn't in a hurry.
"Then what are we going to do now?" Lei Wei asked in confusion. She didn't know why Wang Yiyang had stopped the car here.
"Wait," Wang Yiyang replied with a smile.
"Wait?"
"Of course." Wang Yiyang brushed nonexistent dust from his collar. "I spent over ten million to get just a little of that special poison gas. We should at least see how well it works."
He set off toward the martial arts hall.
Before you continue